Belmont Dairy | Portland, OR

Pioneering Neighborhood Scale Mixed-Use Development

  • Completion Date 1996
  • Budget $14M
  • Scale 85 Apartments
    26,000 SF Retail
    62 Parking Spaces

Located just 1.5 miles from Downtown Portland and along a major public transit route, the Belmont Dairy exemplifies the potential for quality urban living in a high-density environment. The project involved the adaptive reuse of a 70-year old dairy in the core of the Sunnyside Neighborhood and Belmont Business District, and serves as a national model for mixed-income, mixed-use development. After sitting vacant for five years, the new owners transformed the Dairy into a community landmark offering 66 apartments for residents earning less than 60% of area median income, 19 market rate loft apartments, 26,000 square feet of retail space including a specialty grocer, and 62 shared parking spaces for residents and commercial patrons. Significant portions of the original dairy were salvaged and a green building program was implemented to reduce overall energy and water use. The development sparked a major revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood. The Belmont Dairy received numerous awards including a Governor’s Livability Award and Business for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) Innovation Award and remains a model project nationally.

SOJ Scope

  • Feasibility and Financial Analysis
  • Site Assessments
  • Entitlements Management
  • Community Relations
  • Structure Project Financing
  • Management of Planning, Design and Construction
  • Sustainability Program Management

Project Partners

  • Client:
    • Belmont Limited Partnership
    • Belmont Dairy, LLC, General Partner
  • Architect:
    • GBD Architects, Inc.
  • General Contractor:
    • Walsh Construction Company